Mugadza has been at the forefront of an anti-Mugabe movement that has rocked the nation of almost 16 million people in recent months.

Dubbed the "Mugabe-Must-Go" pastor, Mugadza made headlines when he chained himself to a pole in a protest against the head of state in April last year, and later submitted a deposition at the Vatican embassy in the capital Harare asking the Roman Catholic Church to excommunicate Mugabe, who is a Catholic.

According to his lawyer, police officers who interrogated Mugadza at the capital Harare's Central Police Station alleged that the cleric on 13 January "unlawfully acted in a manner which is likely to create a nuisance" by prophesying in October that Mugabe will die on 17 October 2017.

In the video posted by News Day newspaper, Kariba-based Mugadza is seen saying: "It was on the 26th of December when I was in prayer, God said to me: 'This coming year 2017, the president is dying'. And he told me to say that he (Mugabe) is dying on 17 October.

However the 92-year-old's condition has significantly deteriorated in recent years, sparking speculation about his health. He has also made frequent visits to the Far East for medical treatment, which have raised concerns about his stranglehold on power. In September, Mugabe denied rumours of his physical frailty, making outlandish claims that he had been resurrected from the dead.